Resilient bumper for bell-yokes.



m, WALKER.

RESIHENT BUMPERFOR BELL YOKES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1916.

40% u Patented July 31, 1917,

ROBERT E. WALKER, OF GARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

BESILIENT BUMPER FOR BELL-YOKES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application filed. November 25, 1916. Serial No. 133,489.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT R. WALKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Carbondale, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Resilient Bumper for Bell-Yokes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to appliances for bells, such as are commonly used on railway locomotives and has particular reference to a means to resiliently limit the extent of rotation or oscillation of the bell yoke and bell secured thereto, with respect to the relatively stationary bell stand.

Among the objects of the invention, therefore, is to provide a simple, reliable and comparatively cheap construction or attachment adapted to be used in connection with present locomotive equipment with little or no alteration or reconstruction, that will serve to preventv the complete overturning or rotation of the bell yoke or the stopping of the bell yoke at the dead center when the bell is inverted. In my experience as a locomotive engineer, I have observed that in many cases, the bell is apt to become inoperative by the complete overturning or spinning just at a time when the engineer and fireman are both so engaged by other duties as to be helpless to right the bell, whereby it is not infrequent that serious accidents occur along the railroad, entailing great annoyance and expense to the railway companies. The primary object of my invention, therefore, is to overcome this source of trouble.

with the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a bell stand and yoke journaled therein in so far as it involves the adaptation of my improvement;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional detail on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a conventionalarrangement of hell and supporting means indicating also from one side a well known form of automatic ringer and on the other side the location of my improved bumper.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 show at 10 a bell standin which the bell yoke 11 is journaled for oscillation around a horizontal axis and at 12, at the right side of the bell yoke, is indicated any suitable or conventional means for oscillating the yoke to ring the bell. As above in dicated, however, the means to ring the bell operates so vigorously that the bell is caused often to rotate or spin around its axis and thereby become practically useless.

I provide, therefore, a buffer cooperating with the yoke trunnion 13 on the opposite side from the ringer 12 to resiliently limit the extent of'rotation or oscillation of the bell. As indicated, the trunnion 13 is of tubular construction and is provided with a bolt 14 fit-ted loosely in the longitudinal center thereof. The trunnion itself is journaled for oscillation around its axis in a bushing 15 secured to or constituting a part of'the bell stand. 6

The bolt 14 has a head 16, shown as of cylindrical form, which is located in a cavity 17 formed in a cap 18 threaded upon the outer end or boss 19 of the bushing. The cap is shown as made preferably of two parts 18 and 18 threaded together for convenience of construction and assemblage, the part 18f constituting a sleeve, and the part 18 constituting a head. The head is counterbored coaxially of the bolt 14, as indicated at 20, for the reception of a centering pin 21 constituting in effect a continuation or extension of the bolt 14 on the opposite side ofthe head 16 from the main portion thereof.

The'trunnion 13 is secured rigidly to or constitutes a part of the bell yoke 11. A coil spring22 is secured rigidly at one end at 23 to the outer end of the trunnion and after coiling loosely around the'main portion of the bolt 14:, has its other end anchored at 2 1 in a slit 25 at the inner end of the bolt. This end of the spring is then locked or gripped in the indicated space by means of a nut 26 screwed upon the slitted end of the bolt. The inner end of the tubular trunnion is preferably closed with an externally threaded nut 25 to exclude dirt, etc. The spring 22, as indicated, serves to hold the bolt 14 and its head 16 in normal definite position with respect to the axis of the trunnion 13. In other words, while.

the trunnion is being oscillated with the bell yoke, the head 16 of the bolt is given a partial rotation therewith due to the spring connection without resistance or interfer ence. This device, therefore, has no 'efiect upon the automatic ringer or other means for oscillating the bell yoke, except to insure that the normal and proper operation of such devices will not be defeated. When, however, the trunnion has been given a certain degree of rotation around its axis, a lug 28 secured to the outer face of the head 16 will strike squarely against a similar lug '29, secured upon the inner face of the cap head 18. The bolt and its head will thus be positively stopped in their rotation, and any further rotation of the trunnion will serve immediately to place the spring 22 under tension. 'lhis tension of the spring will do one of two things. it will either check the force of the rotating means applied to the bell yoke, or else it will serve to return the bell to normal position after such force is withdrawn. The ordinary function, however, of this spring is to limit the degree of rotation or oscillation of the bell yoke, this result being effective only after a reasonable amount of oscillation of the bell yoke has taken place, due to the normal lost motion between the two lugs 28 and 29 in either direction. The lugs, as indicated in Fig. 2, are located non mally diametrically opposite each other and in the same transverse plane. The spring 22 is preferably of a contractile nature and its connections with the trunnion and bolt serve to insure that the bolt will be forced outwardly so as to maintain said lugs in the plane indicated. The cap 18 may be tapped, if desired, to provide means to supply lubricant to the interior thereof, as shown at 80.

I claim:

'1. In a locomotive bell bumper, the combination of a relatively stationary support, a trunnion journaled therein, a member having a head located between the trunnion and the support, resilient connecting means between the head and the trunnion, whereby the head is caused to rotate freely in either direction with said trunnion to certain limits, and stopping means acting between the head and the stationary support to positively limit the rotation of'the head thereafter.

In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a relatively stationary support, a yoke and tubular trunnion journa-led therein, a bolt located within the trunnion, a spring resiliently connecting the trunnion to the bolt and normally spaced stop lugs carried by the bolt and the stationary support respectively providing for free rotation of the trunnion and bolt through a certain number of degrees in either direction without resistance and providing also for the positive stopping of the bolt at the end of such amount of rotation but permitting the trunnion to continue rotation under resilient resistance.

3. The combination with a stationary support and a bushing secured therein, of an oscillating member having tubular trunnion journaled in said bushingya cap secured to the outer end of the bushing and provided with a central cavity, a fixed lug projecting from the cap into said cavity, a bolt within the trunnion. said bolt having a head located in said cavity, a lug carried by the head in the same plane as the lug aforesaid and normally spaced therefrom, and resilientmeans securing the trunnion and bolt together causing the free rotation of the head and bolt nit-h the trunnion until the lugs engage each other.

4-. The combination with a stationary support, a bushing fitted therein, a hollow cap secured to the outer end of the bushing, said cap being counterbored, a tubular trunnion journaled in the bushing, a bolt located Within the trunnion, said bolt having a head located within the cap and an axial extension extending into said counterbore, normally diametrically spaced stop lugs car ried by said head and cap respectively and a contractile spring having its ends coir nected respectively to the trunnion and the inner-end of the bolt serving to carry the bolt and head around with the trunnion and also to insure the constant maintenance of the lugs in the same plane for positive engagenrient with each other to limit the extent of rotation of the bolt and head.

RQBERT B. lVALKER.

Eoniesot this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing "the Gomniissioner of Eatents, Washington; 19.. d. 

